Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Carl
is a herder, one of the elites who follow their horses through the
galaxy in search of new planets. During a passage, Carl's worst
nightmare comes true when he falls off his horse. He ends up on Planet
Earth, lost for nine centuries and now nearly empty because of a deadly virus. He's
rescued by Ruby and her father, who nurse him back to heath, because
Carl isn't immune and nearly dies when he catches the virus. He tries to
adapt to "Mother Earth", a planet run by robots, where everyone is
either a breeder or a sterile worker. As time passes, he becomes more
attached to Ruby. He doesn't know if he can leave Ruby to her fate, or
if she'd consider leaving her family and everything she knows to follow
him.

"Wait a minute," Carl said. "What's the matter? Why the sour face?"For
a minute, he thought that she wouldn't answer. Then she looked at him
squarely and said, "I saw you. I smiled at you, and you flinched. I know
what you were thinking. You were thinking how awful it is I can't have
children, and you were feeling sorry for me."Carl took her by the arms. "Is that what you think?" he asked."Of
course. You don't have to apologize, or feel sorry for me." She drew
herself up. "I don't whine or moan about it now, and I never will," she
added fiercely. "Even when I have to go away.""Go away?" That didn't sound right. "Go where?"Her
face fell. "I forgot … you don't know anything. If you're sterile, you
don't count here. I'm just an extra person on Earth. Sterile people are
expected to become helpers. We work in schools, hospitals, or as nannies
to help. We stay in special housing. I'm almost twenty, so I'll have to
go soon." She shrugged. "That way, we don't get in the way of people
who can marry and have children. I can't fall in love with anyone. It's
forbidden."Carl
just gaped at her. She lifted her chin and looked at him, her
expression infinitely sad. "The first time I set eyes on you, Carl
Cadet, I thought my heart had stopped beating. You're the handsomest man
I've ever seen, and there's something else about you. You're kind. I
can tell. There's compassion in you. I kept thinking to myself that if
only I wasn't sterile, I could easily fall in love with you." Her mouth
twisted awry and she blinked back tears. "But I can't. So if I sound
snappish or angry sometimes, it's because I still haven't quite come to
terms with having to give up so much.""I'm sorry." He could hardly breathe."Don't
be. I'm alive, and I met you. And we're friends. That counts for a lot,
doesn't it?" Somehow she managed to smile brightly.He
wanted to say something else, but he was struck by her nearness, by the
scent of her skin, and by the way the sun lit up her short, ash-blond
hair and made it glow. Instead, he found himself pulling her toward him,
cupping her chin in his hands, and kissing her softly on the lips. His
hands, he noted with surprise, were trembling.There
was a moment of silence while Ruby stood still, her face tilted up, her
eyes closed. She shook herself loose and stepped back. "You didn't have
to do that," she said.

About the Author

Jennifer
Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, &amp; various
dogs &amp; horses. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the
Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul highschool in St.
Thomas and moved to NYC where she modelled for five years for Elite. She
went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true.
But she mostly likes to make up stories.

1 comment:

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Acheron Quotes

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